[This post was slightly updated in September 2023.]
Al Ain is absolutely full of tourist attractions. One of them is Al-Jahili Fort, which is one of the largest forts in the country. You can read more about its history here.
Al Jahili Fort is inside Al-Jahili Park. Here’s the Fort peeking out from behind the park’s trees:
The entrance of the fort can be seen above in the header pic (all the pics in this post are mine, including the header).
Here’s what the Fort looks like inside:
When I visited in 2018, they had some art exhibits inside the Fort:
They also have a permanent photo exhibition inside the Fort, dedicated to Wilfred Thesiger, the famous English explorer. He stayed at the Fort multiple times and was known as “Mubarak ibn London” – so that he wouldn’t get killed (foreigner and all, I guess).
The park itself contains a small geology exhibit called the Geology Park. It’s a fancy looking structure with various rocks that come from different parts of the Emirates.
Here’s what the outside looks like:
Here you can see some stones:
The park itself is also quite nice.
Overall, this is a great place to visit due to the multitude of things that can be seen (the Fort is a must visit). And all of it is free!
One word of advice: It would be better to avoid visiting in the afternoon as there is not much shade. So, it would be advisable to go before 10am or after 3pm.
Price: Free
Fort Timings: Daily: 9am to 7pm
Location: Sultan Bin Zayed Al Awwal St – Al Mutawaa, Al Ain. You can find it here on Google Maps.
Phone Number: +97137118311
Parking: There’s plenty of free parking outside the park.
Places to see nearby: Al Ain Palace Museum, Al Ain Oasis and Al Ain National Museum.